Electrically illuminated face plate insignia



Dec. 17, 1968 L. T. BORDNER 3,416,251

ELECTRICALLY ILLUMINATED FACE PLATE INSIGNIA Filed June 22. 1966 Z55 QBOQDNER United States Patent 3,416,251 ELECTRICALLY ILLUMINATED FACE PLATE INSIGNIA Lee T. Bordner, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Sierra Electric, Inc., Gardena, Calif., a

Corporation of Wisconsin Filed June 22, 1966, Ser. No. 559,625 7 Claims. (Cl. 40132) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In wall plates having lamp illuminated translucent insignia area increased brightness in the area is achieved with a practical, low cost assembly in which the wall mounting strap for the plate is shaped to accommodate the lamp and is provided with an inside light reflective surface which reflects lamp light to the translucent area. The strap may additionally carry a heat and light diffuser.

This invention relates generally to wall mountable electrical fixtures, and is directed particularly to improvements in electrically illuminated wall plates that may carry desired insignia within their illuminated areas.

The invention has for its general object to provide a very practical and low cost unitized assembly of a wall mountable face plate having a translucent area, and a simplified mounting attached to the rear side of the plate, of an illuminating lamp and receptacle, and preferably also a light diffuser interposed between the lamp and translucent plate area.

Structurally the invention contemplates such an assembly in which the parts are reduced essentially to a strap terminally secured to the plate and having an intermediate extent spaced from and opposite the translucent area of the plate to serve the dual purposes of a mounting for a receptacle and lamp inside the strap, and as a reflector to increase the plate illumination. Specifically contemplated is a strap configuration having an essentially straight side suitable for attachment thereto of a recep tacle whose lamp is accommodated in opposed spaced relation to the rear of the translucent plate area.

The invention also provides for a direct and reflected light diffuser at the plate side of the lamp, and which in a preferred simple form may consist of a translucent plate carried by the strap extent opposite the receptacle and projecting freely into the space between the lamp and plate.

These features and objects of the invention, as well as an illustrative embodiment, will be further explained by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view showing the face plate in front elevation;

FIG. 2 is a cross section taken through the face plate and rear strap assembly on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a cross section on line 44 of FIG. 2.

The assembly as characterized in the foregoing is shown to comprise a face plate adapted to be mounted to a wall surface 11 and to have a centralized translucent area generally indicated at 12, occupied by a panel 13 peripherally flanged at 14 for accommodation within the face plate recess 15, wherein the panel is retained by a compressed board or like sheet 16 centrally aperturcd in correspondence with panel 13. The centrally paneled face plate and sheet 16 may be preassembled with the sheet overlapping flange 14 sufliciently to retain the panel in place, as by elastic or spring-type nuts 161 applied to face plate protrusions 162 extending through openings in the sheet as shown in FIG. 4. The latter may be made of any suitable material, as an appropriate plastic which though not necessarily transparent, has suflicient translucency for illumination of a sign or legend, as in FIG. 1, applied to either the inside or outside of the panel.

Referring to FIG. 2, the face plate and sheet 16 are secured by screws 17 to the terminals 18 and 19' of a mounting strap 20 which in turn is securable within a conventional box 21 as by screws 22, the box and screws constituting no part of the invention and therefore being shown in broken lines.

Extending from its terminal 18, the strap has an essentially straight extent 23- with right angle bend to an intermediate extent 24 to accommodate an electrical receptacle 25 which receives lamp 26, the receptacle being mountable to and within the strap as by screws 27. The receptacle has conventional screws S for attachment of lead wires, not shown. Continuing beyond the intermediate extent 24, the strap has a curved bend 28 leading to the terminal 19.

Thus the lamp 26 is accommodated within the strap and in spaced relation to the translucent panel 13 which is illuminated by direct light from the lamp. Illumination of the panel preferably is increased by providing the strap with a smoothly regular, polished or plated inner surface 31 which, extending opposite the rear side of the lamp and about its forward end, reflects light to the panel.

In order to relieve lamp light glare through the panel 13, I provide within space 32 a diffuser 33 which may have the simple form of a translucent plastic fiat platelike element carried by the strap at 34. The diffuser plate may be simply mounted and essentially hinged to the strap as by bifurcating the end of the plate as shown in FIG. 3 to provide for projections 35 which in-lap the outer surface of the strap. Additionally, the plate is shown to have a small lug 36 projecting through opening 37 in the strap to hold the plate against shifting lengthwise of the strap.

As will be understood, the described assembly may be installed within any of a variety of wall locations requiring illumination for that purpose alone, or additionally to display such insignia as may be carried by the translucent panel 13. Illustrative usages are installations for outside exposures in the Walls of hotel, hospital and like rooms.

I claim:

1. The combination comprising a wall mountable face plate having a centralized translucent insignia area, a wall mounting means for said plate including a strap having terminals secured to the rear of said plate at opposite ends thereof and an intermediate extent having an inside light reflector surface portion and spaced from the plate opposite said translucent area thereof, an electrical receptacle mounted to the inside of the strap and having a lamp interposed between said intermediate extent of the strap and said translucent area whereby said light reflector surface portion of the strap reflects light from said lamp onto said translucent area.

2. The combination of claim 1, including a translucent light and heat diffuser interposed between the lamp and said area.

3. The combination of claim 2, in which said diffuser is loosely carried by the strap near one of its terminals.

4. The combination of claim 1, in which said strap is bent to have an essentially straight side at one terminal and said receptacle is attached to said straight side.

5. The combination of claim 4, in which the opposite side of the strap has a curved bend leading to the other strap terminal.

6. The combination of claim 5, including a translucent light and heat diffuser carried by the curved bend side of the strap near the corresponding terminal.

3,416,251 3 4 7. The combination of claim 6, in which said diffuser FOREIGN PATENTS is a flat plastic plate loosely hinged to the strap. 635,312 4/1950 Great Britain.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 W. J. CONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner. 1,694,158 121/1928 Both.

2,118,385 5/1938 Shively 411-132 US 2,276,776 3/1942 Hofrnan 40-1522 40-1522.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner. 

